Returning the Favor
by Scorpio-Rat
Summary: Ami tries her best to impress Makoto with something more homemade and personal as a present, but has a hard time actually giving it to her. A one-shot story for Makoto's birthday.


**AN:** This is pretty much a direct sequel to Between Friends and Between Seasons, and sort of a small celebration of Makoto's birthday today.

* * *

It was December 5th, a day Ami had been nervously awaiting since she had come up with her plan. As usual, the girls had all crowded into Makoto's apartment to celebrate her birthday. It was a tradition that had been started when they realized how lonely she must have been over the last few years with no party. They would come over with a cake (Makoto was banned by Usagi from making her own), and then waste the rest of the day doing various activities together.

Now that the sun had set, most of the group was in the living room, watching a movie Minako had brought. Except for Ami.

She was outside on the patio, trying to work up the nerve to do what she had been trying to accomplish all day. A small, wrapped package was held tightly in her hands, the label stuck to it marking it as for Mako.

After Makoto had given her that package of chocolates on Valentine's Day, and helped her plant the water lilies that still sat on her windowsill at home, Ami had been brainstorming ways to return the favor. She had settled on baking something.

Ami wasn't a great cook or baker, considering the most complicated homemade lunch she had made was a sandwich. She could follow instructions easily enough, but she just didn't have the instincts or culinary taste to push food beyond average tasting. Despite this, Ami did not back down from a learning challenge. Over the last few months, she bought a few books on baking and practiced when she had time between her studies. It had been a true challenge hiding her efforts from everyone, especially Usagi, who could find cookies wherever you hid them.

But she was determined to keep it an absolute secret from Makoto until she got good enough to make her present. The day before, Ami had finally baked a good enough batch of cookies to satisfy her standards, and then carefully sealed them into a circular tin she had bought earlier. The wrapping looked alright, but...what if Mako didn't like them?

And that unpleasant thought was what had stopped Ami from handing it over. After all the kind things Makoto did for her, she didn't want to disappoint her now.

She was still standing there and looking down at the package, shivering slightly as the wind cut through her jacket, when someone opened the door and stepped out with her.

"There you are, Ami!" Makoto said, startling her. She stuffed the tin into her jacket before turning to look at her. "We thought you went to the bathroom, but you didn't come back after a while…" she continued, walking over to her. "I was starting to miss you." Ami blushed and looked at the ground.

"O-oh, it was just getting warm in there, and I wanted a breather," she explained. "I apologize for losing track of time…" Makoto kicked the door shut with her heel, cutting off the sound of the movie still playing. They were alone. Ami swallowed hard, scraping together her courage.

"Uh….are you okay?" Mako watched her, concerned. "You look really nervous…" Ami took a deep breath and pulled out the tin again, thrusting it towards her.

"Here, this is for you…" she said, rushing the words out of her mouth before she held them in. Blinking, Mako took it from Ami's shaking hands and looked it over. "I-I was going to give it to you earlier, but I sort of...lost my nerve." She looked at Ami, and then back at the small package, wondering exactly what it could be now.

"Ami, I'd be happy with anything you gave me..." Makoto said, smiling at her. Ami still refused to make eye contact with her, so she took off the wrapping to try and lessen her anxiety over... whatever it was.

"Happy Birthday," Ami mumbled as she opened the tin up.

"Ami…" Makoto said, looking at the organized stacks of cookies in different shapes. The way they were slightly inconsistent in size made it obvious that they weren't from a store or bakery. "Did you-" Ami nodded, staying silent. "This is...the first time someone's made something for me in a long time." Ami looked up at the sincerity in her tone.

"So...you like them?" she asked timidly. Mako laughed.

"Y-yeah… Like I said, I'd be happy with anything you gave me. Especially these." Ami could barely register the growing blush on her friend's face before she pulled her into a hug, and Ami realized how cold she had been before it. "Thank you…" The tension eased out of her, and Ami hugged her back.

"Do you...want to taste one?" she asked, and Makoto laughed again before she let go.

"I'll try it once we're inside, I promise. It's too cold out here, judging by your skin," she teased. Ami covered the embarrassed giggle that escaped her with her hand.

"Sorry…" Makoto took off her own jacket and laid it over her shoulders.

"You need this more than I do." Ami wrapped it around herself a little tighter and allowed Mako to lead her back into the apartment. For the rest of the night, Makoto made sure to keep both Usagi and Minako out of her gift, no matter how much they begged.


End file.
